Headliner: Noam Chomsky on ISIL, Turkey and Ukraine

The author discusses the war against ISIL, his public spat with the Turkish president and Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Noam Chomsky has been described as "arguably the most important intellectual alive". And as one of the world's most celebrated academics, he has published more than 100 books and is a leading critic on US foreign policy.

In the first of a special two-part interview, Chomsky sits down with Mehdi Hasan to discuss the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group, Ukraine and Turkey.

Chomsky and other "so-called intellectuals" were recently criticised by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for supporting Kurdish separatists.

The author and activist, who has accused the Turkish government of waging a "terrorist war" against the Kurds, tells UpFront that President Erdogan is "undoubtedly carrying out vicious repressive actions attacking the Kurdish population", adding that he would call him a "murderer".

Chomsky also talks about imperialism, and comments on the row between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Part two of the interview to be aired Friday, January 29 at 1930GMT includes who Chomsky would vote for in the US presidential election, why he doesn't support a full boycott of Israel, and the impact of the rise of Islamophobia.